


Video call

by SugdenLovesDingle



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Hopeful Ending, Light Angst, M/M, Reunions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-15
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 04:35:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27577937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SugdenLovesDingle/pseuds/SugdenLovesDingle
Summary: Aaron gets a video call from an unknown number
Relationships: Aaron Dingle/Robert Sugden
Comments: 9
Kudos: 105





	Video call

**Author's Note:**

> based on an ask I got on tumblr suggesting robron's reunion could be over facetime (all covid proof until Ryan comes to his senses)

“I don’t care, just clean up your mess alright?! I’ve got enough to deal with without having to clean up after you.” Aaron snapped.

“Nobody’s asking you to!” Liv shot back.

they were in the middle of yet another shouting match, caused by too many people crammed into one flat and getting frustrated and annoyed over the smallest things.

“Whatever. I’m going to David’s, we’re out of milk.”

Aaron grabbed his wallet and phone, shrugged on his jacket and patted the pocket to make sure his keys were in there and left the flat. He was going crazy in there and he was happy to be able to close the door behind him and get some fresh air. He inhaled deeply, zipped up his jacket, and started walking down the driveway.

He debated going for a walk first to clear his head when his phone rang.

“If she’s calling asking to bring her stuff I’m going to scream.” Aaron mumbled to himself.

Only when he checked the screen it wasn’t Liv that was calling, it was a video call from a number he didn’t recognise.

He frowned. Who would be video.calling him that he didn’t have the number of?

Curiosity won though and he hit accept. The screen went black for a second and when he saw who was calling him Aaron nearly dropped his phone in shock.

“Robert?!”

Robert gave him an unsure smile.

“Hi… I uh… I’m out…”

“What…? How?”

“I won an appeal. GBH. 18 months. Out on time served with good behaviour.” Robert said, sounding like he was admitting a crime.

“You what? You appealed? You divorced me but you appealed your sentence?!” Aaron felt anger bubbling up inside of him. “Did you just decide you didn’t want to be married anymore?!”

“No! It wasn’t like that! Being married to you was the best thing that ever happened to me!” Robert vowed, running his free hand through his hair in frustration. Aaron noticed it was longer than he usually kept it. Longer than he’d ever seen him wear it.

“So what then?”

“I didn’t appeal.”

“What? You just said you won the appeal.”

“Yeah. But I didn’t appeal. My solicitor told me I had a good chance of winning but I didn’t believe him… He gave me the papers to think about it and read through… but I didn’t do anything with them. I threw them away. I… I was scared to get my hopes up and then lose.” Robert admitted, looking at something above the screen.

“Right…”

“My cellmate. He forged my signature and filed the papers on my behalf.”

“What? But… didn’t you have a hearing then or something?”

“I did. Thursday.” Robert told him. “They came to get me and took me to a room where my solicitor was waiting to go over the case one last time… and an hour later I was in a courtroom… and two hours after that I was on my way back to prison and told I’d be getting out as soon as the paperwork was processed. And that was yesterday.”

“I… I… don’t know what to say…” Aaron replied, sitting down on the ground with his back against the mill’s outside door.

“Yeah… that makes two of us…”

“Where are you now?” Aaron asked after a few minutes of just staring at each other.

“A B&B in Southampton.” Robert looked around the room. “It turns out that even if you spend a year in prison, your bank card still works… and I haven’t had much time to spend… so I can afford it for now.”

“Aren’t you coming home?”

“I… I’m not sure where home is anymore…” Robert said softly and bit his lip.

“Here. Your family is here. Harry is almost a year old and doesn’t know his uncle, and Vic would love to have you back… Diane too I’m sure.”

Robert nodded.

“Yeah…”

“They miss you.”

“What about you?” Robert asked carefully. “Do you miss me?”

Aaron swallowed around the lump in his throat.

“Yeah. More than you know.”

**Author's Note:**

> maybe I'll continue this with them actually talking like this more often? Until Robert is ready to come home? would anyone be interested in that?


End file.
